Puck Daddy

Sharks, Kings will play Game 7, thanks to T.J. Galiardi’s game-winner

The "Beat LA" chants came fast and furious. The San Jose Sharks obeyed.

In a must-win Game 6, the Sharks did as they must, defeating the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 2-1 t0 stave off elimination and force a Game 7 Tuesday night at the Staples Center.

The game-winner came off the stick of T.J. Galiardi, who made his case for being the NHL's clutchest T.J., picking a great time to score his first Stanley Cup playoff goal. He dashed into the LA end, putting his shot between the legs of Robyn Regehr and over the shoulder of Jonathan Quick.

I can't get enough of that long drag, as Galiardi pulls the puck way back and gets Regehr to initiate contact, opening up the shooting lane between his legs. Clever.

That goal made it 2-0, which was all the scoring support Antti Niemi would need. Dustin Brown would cut the lead in half later in the second period, but the Kings failed to muster another, as Niemi stopped 24 of 25 shots in the game.

With the win, the Sharks moved to 6-0 in this postseason when scoring first. Joe Thornton and his amazing beard put San Jose on the board with a powerplay goal just six minutes into the game.

But the Sharks' work is not yet done, and in order to punch their ticket to the Western Conference finals, they'll have to do something neither club has done in this series through six games: win on the road.

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